


cover-up

by byungshin



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, also jooheon and changkyun are bffs cause obvi, changki rise, changkyun is kind of a rude ass bitch in the beginning lol, literally only fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 16:31:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11650431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byungshin/pseuds/byungshin
Summary: a flower shop next to a tattoo parlor is the universe's lamest joke.





	cover-up

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello annyeong!!! this started off as a five times ck was an asshole n one time he wasnt kinda story but then it became this?? i rly dont know anywa changki rise
> 
> **  
> i sincerely apologize to anyone who had anything to do with busan and seoul's geography. i totally squeezed stuff outta my ass im sorr y
> 
> **   
> NOW EDITED! its still bad at sum places and no major changes, just a lil twist here and there. thank u for reading!

"is this a joke?"

 

changkyun frowned at the moving truck right in front of his tattoo parlor, unloading tons and tons of different house plants and flowers. 

 

"this cannot be real."

 

jooheon snickered, putting his feet up to watch the moving company carry pink and yellow pots to the flower shop next door. 

 

"i bet there's weed in there somewhere. not like they could tell the difference."

 

changkyun only frowned deeper. 

 

"i don't care about that. i really don't want an old lady nagging at us everyday. a total kill-buzz."

 

"why do you think it's an old lady?"

 

"who the fuck else would run a flower shop?"

 

"a hot girl, maybe? anyone under thirty is fine for me."

 

changkyun rolled his eyes at jooheon, but he would regret it the moment he saw the florist entering the shop next door. he would regret it even more when he showed up at their shop tomorrow with a fresh boquet of flowers in his arms. 

 

"hello," he said, bowing, "im yoo kihyun, i'm sure you've seen me move in yesterday. im really sorry about the mess, hopefully i didn't disturb you."

 

jooheon laughed. "no, not really. i'm jooheon and this is changkyun, i think it's pretty obvious what we do. are those for us?" 

 

yoo kihyun nodded, a small, bashful smile playing on his lips. "i think everyone can use a little bit of flowers in their lives."

 

"i don't think it really fits the atmosphere," changkyun commented, causing kihyun's smile to falter a little. 

 

"i think they look great," jooheon pushed changkyun out of the way and grabbed a beer can he had emptied yesterday. "i'll cut this up and put them here. thank you, kihyun. are you my hyung?"

 

kihyun seemed a little taken aback but smiled nonetheless. 

 

**

 

"flowers are stupid," jooheon said in a high-pitched tone, a low quality and tasteless joke attempting to mock him. 

 

"are you a third grader?" 

 

a low quality and tasteless comeback. 

 

changkyun was sitting next to their huge glass panel with the words "x parlor" painted on it. one of jooheon's ex-girlfriends had done it for them, jooheon had insisted they changed it when they broke up but changkyun didn't let him, they certainly did not earn that much money to be throwing it around. but he did hope the girl never ever walked by ever again. 

 

"you won't see him from there you know."

 

"shut up, i'm not trying to. i just don't wanna see your ugly face."

 

"yeah, sure."

 

changkyun huffed. "don't have an appointment today?"

 

"you have that appointment, actually."

 

"fuck."

 

jooheon snickered and watched as changkyun walked back and forth, looking for his schedule in impossible places. he could almost hear his panic thought train. which customer? what design? which colors? 

 

"it's in your jacket's pocket, idiot."

 

just as changkyun grabbed the notebook, the door opened and flower boy kihyun peeked inside. "hi."

 

jooheon waved. "hello."

 

"i'm really sorry to bother you but i just got a..." kihyun paused, probably guessing the botanical name of the plant wouldn't mean anything to both, "a mini-tree delivered, and i can't carry it by myself. could you guys lend me a hand?"

 

changkyun pulled out his notebook and waved it at kihyun's face. "well, i'm busy. i'm sure jooheon's fine."

 

kihyun avoided looking at changkyun and stared the floor instead. jooheon clicked his tongue. 

 

"of course i can. let's go."

 

changkyun closed the door after jooheon, saying he had to prepare needles and dye, but did nothing else than stare at the ceiling of their equipment closet. 

 

**

 

changkyun absolutely hated it when jooheon called in sick. 

 

he hated jooheon's absence even more when it rained and the boy always seemed to just do that, altough this was more like a big storm and no weather forecast had foreseen it, jooheon probably had. he always did, somehow. but changkyun hated it because that meant he was stuck in the shop unable to go anywhere, and he was alone. no customers would come in at this weather. no friends either. nobody could even walk around. he sighed. 

 

he briefly wondered what kihyun was up to next door. 

 

unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he approached their glass window and peeked outside, only to have his jaw drop. 

 

kihyun was rushing back and forth in front of his shop, soaked from head to toe, trying to carry every single flower that was on display outside, inside. changkyun wanted to quietly step back, act like he hadn't seen him at all, but something in his gut (or his heart) didn't let him do so. he released an annoyed breath, left his phone on the desk and stepped outside, running next to kihyun still trying to carry flowers. 

 

"are you crazy?"

 

kihyun looked up, lips trembling and eyes sad, "i can't leave them here. they can't stand this much wind, they're used to the sun. it's all my fault."

 

changkyun stared at his back rushing inside to drop off some strawberry plants for a few seconds, then he stared at the plants already losing leaves and branches. he sighed and picked up two heavy, jungly-looking bushes, following kihyun inside. once he placed them down, he met with the sight of kihyun looking at him unbelieving, before he broke into a smile and gave changkyun a quick hug, just barely lasting two seconds. 

 

"thank you."

 

changkyun frowned. 

 

**

 

kihyun started showing up more often after that incident. he sometimes asked to watch a quick tattooing session or had lunch with them, asking about this and that. 

 

"did you guys ever tattoo each other?"

 

jooheon snorted. "us? i wouldn't let changkyun two meters near my body with a needle. he sucks."

 

"shut up you gorilla. who pierced that girl wrong?"

 

kihyun laughed. "what?"

 

jooheon tried to shut changkyun up but he was too far, reaching over from the desk to where changkyun and kihyun were sitting was impossible. 

 

"there's this girl, she came in asking for a nose piercing. i told jooheon to do it since he usually does the piercings anyway, so this girl, has no experience and what not, definetely doesn't think anything's wrong when jooheon starts cleaning and wiping around her eyebrow and not her nose."

 

kihyun opened his mouth wide, covering it with his hands afterwards. "no way."

 

"yes way. so jooheon deadass gave the girl the wrong piercing, and then pierced her nose too as an apology."

 

"really?" kihyun turned to jooheon, who was glaring like a fussy child. 

 

"yeah well, she came to say hi recently and told me she now loves it, i don't see how i did bad."

 

kihyun started laughing so hard he bent in half, hitting changkyun's knee repeatedly. changkyun was laughing too, up until that point, but he went silent as he watched kihyun's face light up more and more, giving his knee one final squeeze before leaning back again. 

 

"that's amazing."

 

"yeah, well... you should see changkyun's back."

 

"why?"

 

changkyun coughed. "yeah, why?"

 

"to prove that you're a bigger idiot than i am, of course."

 

"why, what happened?"

 

"he tattooed a girl's name on his shoulder, by himself, then they broke up a few weeks later."

 

kihyun got still for a moment. "why didn't you cover it up?"

 

"cause he still loves her."

 

changkyun didn't look at jooheon or kihyun before storming out of the shop. he didn't show up for the next three days. 

 

**

 

changkyun opened his eyes slowly as the ding of his phone resonated in the room. his hands blindly searched for his phone on the nightstand, expecting it to be either jooheon trying to stupidly apologize or his mom asking if he was doing okay. he opted for the latter. 

 

it wasn't either of them though, so changkyun stared the unknown number for a long time before it clicked. 

 

_'hello, i'm sorry i'm texting you but i really hope you're alright. i shouldn't have asked, i should have known it would make you uncomfortable. if you don't want to go the shop, can we please grab some coffee?'_

 

changkyun groaned, but he hadn't left his house in three days and he was yearning for human interaction at that point, plus he had no reasonable alibi as kihyun probably did know he had been lying motionlessly for the past 72 hours. 

 

_'meet me in lotte world at 2 pm.'_

 

the reply didn't take long. 

 

_'alright, see you.'_

 

changkyun could see kihyun playing with his fingers in front of the coffee shop they chose, not going in before him. he finally raised his head and waved when he saw changkyun coming his way, looking way more nervous than he should be. 

 

"hello."

 

changkyun nodded. "hi."

 

"do you wanna sit, or-"

 

"go ahead."

 

it felt incredibly awkward to follow kihyun as he briefed through tables, looking for a less crowded corner. he didn't know why they came here, changkyun realized. in fact, this shouldn't be kihyun's concern at all. 

 

they finally sat down when kihyun found a good table, next to some elderly couple and across a few highschool girls giggling. changkyun ordered an americano without looking at the menu and kihyun decided on a ice latte after a bit consideration. changkyun didn't know why he paid attention to that. 

 

"jooheon also wanted me to tell you he's sorry. he says he didn't know why he did it, it slipped in the heat of the moment."

 

"why didn't he tell me himself?"

 

"he thinks you don't want to see him."

 

changkyun played with his fingers laying on the wooden table. "i don't."

 

"i... i really understand it's a sensitive topic. that's why, i wanted to tell you that i'll forget about it, because it's so important to you. but i also want to tell you, for your own good, and also as a hyung, that letting go is probably the only healthy option left."

 

"i know."

 

kihyun smiled sadly. "i'm already sure you know, but hearing it makes it sound more real, don't you think?"

 

 "yeah."

 

they went silent after that, just the sound of sipping and kihyun occasionaly trying to initiate small talk. changkyun tried to reply the best he could, but it really wasn't easy. 

 

when they were back the gates of lotte world, changkyun grabbed kihyun's wrist, stopping him from leaving. 

 

"i... i don't mind you knowing this, hyung. we're friends after all, i guess."

 

kihyun only smiled, giving his hair a quick ruffle before leaving. 

 

**

 

changkyun returned to work and him and jooheon picked up where they left off after a good punch to the arm and a mumbled sorry. kihyun seemed to happy to see them like that, so happy that the next day he proposed something completely unexpected. 

 

"tattoo me."

 

changkyun choked. "what?"

 

"give me a tattoo! as a celebration, since you guys are good again and you recently called me your friend for the first time."

 

"that's not a reason to get a tattoo, though."

 

"really?" kihyun paused for a second, before pointing at a random tattoo on changkyun's arm. "what's the story behind that one?"

 

"this?" changkyun pointed to the palm leaf adorning his forearm. "it looks cool."

 

"so, give me something that looks cool."

 

"hyung, i really don't think-"

 

"oh, shut up already! i won't regret it so come on, show me a design."

 

changkyun sighed. "alright, fine. let me call jooheon."

 

"y- you don't have to," kihyun interrupted.

 

that made changkyun stop on his steps, "what?"

 

kihyun was looking at the floor again, playing with the end of his sweater, "i- i mean you are a tattoo artist too, right? we don't have to bother jooheon."

 

changkyun messed with his hair. "yeah, sure."

 

kihyun didn't look at the younger all the while while they browsed designs together, until he stopped on the design of an ivy vine. 

 

"this looks really good."

 

changkyun printed it out and kihyun looked at it, closing his eyes to try and imagine how it would look on his body. 

 

"where do you want it?"

 

kihyun bit his lips and squinted at the print. "do you have a suggestion?"

 

"you want it all black, right?"

 

kihyun contemplated for a second before nodding. changkyun nodded too, sitting next to him and grabbing the sheet. 

 

"your flank might look good."

 

kihyun's eyes widened. "flank?"

 

changkyun shrugged. "yeah, why not?"

 

"uh, sure. i like that. sounds good."

 

"you don't sound so sincere."

 

"i am. i'm just nervous, that's all. i really want it."

 

changkyun placed a hand on his shoulder. "you can back out anytime. don't feel obligated."

 

"i'm not. it was my idea, after all."

 

"okay. then i'll be preparing for you, you make sure you're happy with everything."

 

kihyun definitely did not enjoy laying half naked on his side, his facial expressions on full display for changkyun who was occasionally chuckling at his attempts to stay neutral. 

 

"tell me if it hurts too much so we can take a break."

 

kihyun whimpered. "i just want it to be over already."

 

"almost done."

 

"you said that fifteen minutes ago."

 

changkyun actually laughed. "yeah, well it's still almost done."

 

kihyun smiled a bit too as changkyun's hands pulled and traveled on his side, followed by the buzzing and the dull sting of the needle. it wasn't that bad, but it certainly wasn't pleasant either. kihyun wouldn't complain of his situation either way. 

 

jooheon arrived when changkyun was promising he had just a few minutes left, and almost screamed at the sight he met. 

 

"i can't believe you'd do this without me."

 

kihyun finally felt changkyun pull away a little while after and start wiping the excess ink, shrugging during the process. 

 

"i'm his favorite."

 

kihyun only laughed, too tired for once to actually reply. 

 

**

 

kihyun turned around to a whistle. 

 

"that looks good."

 

he smiled at the sight of changkyun and jooheon sitting on the pavement. he had worn a thin cotton shirt today, since it was getting warmer anyway, and he wanted to show off his finally healed tattoo. it worked, so it appeared. 

 

"i got it done by a professional."

 

changkyun smiled at that. kihyun finished watering the flowers outside and set up a be right back sign as he went to sit down next to the two boys. 

 

"hyung, are you going on a holiday?" jooheon asked, handing kihyun a diet coke. they had already accepted the fact kihyun didn't drink beer like water like they did. 

 

"i don't have any plans yet, no," he shook his head, opening the can. he frowned at the little bit of foam oozing out. 

 

"wanna come with us then? we're going to busan for five days next week. it's my family's house, so you won't have to pay anything."

 

kihyun stared at jooheon, and then at changkyun. "really? you'd want me there with you?"

 

"we've been together almost everyday for like... eight months now, hyung. still don't think we'll murder you in your sleep, right?"

 

kihyun hit changkyun's arm playfully. he was smiling, but it faded quickly as he saw a customer approaching the flower shop. _'now, out of all times'_ he cried mentally but stood up anyway, yelling out an "i'd love to!" at the two before disappearing. 

 

**

 

the week passed agonizingly slow, but kihyun had prepared everything and was counting down hours now. he was going on a holiday! with his... best friends? could he say that? sure, they've spent lots of time together and knew all the small details, but-

 

he jumped when he heard his phone ringing and squealed when he saw changkyun calling, taking deep breaths before answering to hide his excitement. 

 

"yes, changkyunnie?"

 

changkyun's voice was lazy and low like always. just like kihyun liked. 

 

"hyung, we're going to leave early in the morning so jooheon thinks it's a better idea to just sleep over at his place. can you come?"

 

"uh, yeah, yeah sure. just text me the address?"

 

"sure."

 

kihyun didn't even flinch when changkyun hanged up without a bye, he'd gotten used to it now. a different style, but it was his after all. 

 

jooheon's house was a small apartment building on a main street, pretty easy to find. not very easy to walk to with a suitcase. 

 

changkyun helped him carry the luggage since the building didn't have a lift, but he supposed for a building that old it was only logical. jooheon clapped his hands when he saw a deadbeat kihyun and slightly redder changkyun on the stairs, waving them to quickly come inside. 

 

it felt like the holiday began already since they were obviously not here just to sleep, jooheon had set up a movie and snacks, his couch was interestingly filled with lovely looking cushions and thin blankets. 

 

"it feels like high school all over again," kihyun commented as he sat next to changkyun, who was in the middle. 

 

"to think i knew this loser even back then," changkyun commented, then giggled lazily as jooheon flicked at his head. 

 

jooheon had chosen a horror movie, saying he was curious to the plot but too much of a chicken to actually watch it by himself. kihyun could so easily sympathize with that so he agreed without a word. 

 

after the first movie ended, jooheon bashfully admitted it had a sequel and wasted no time in starting that up, although he had screamed the entire run time of the first movie. changkyun commented he was now partially deaf. 

 

kihyun started to feel sleepy as they neared the middle of the second movie, which made sense since it was 2 a.m. already. changkyun and jooheon seemed to have no trouble staying up, so he just went ahead and curled against the couch for a nap. 

 

he woke up to the sun. stretching his arms, he looked around disoriented, his eyes caught jooheon's blonde head peeking under some cushions, interestingly, and followed a pair of socked feet to find changkyun's head laying on his thigh. both of them were too tired to make it to bed, apparently. 

 

kihyun ignored the nagging voice in his head telling him to wake everyone up, make breakfast and just hop in the car as soon as possible, for the sake of staring at changkyun snoring lightly on his lap. fuck, he was cute. his tshirt was ridden up and kihyun could see some tattoos he hadn't before, around his hips and stomach. he'd never thought tattoos of all things could be so, so attractive. he gently poked at a small star on his left bicep, his fingers lightly following around the designs around it. he sighed, finally retracting his finger and threw his head back, only to have his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. 

 

jooheon was wide awake and staring at him with a predatory smile on his lips. 

 

kihyun raised both hands to say, "no, no, you got it all wrong."

 

"did i?" jooheon smiled, finally sitting up. "i kind of guessed it anyway."

 

"no jooheon, i..." 

 

"i don't mind it at all, hyung. don't worry. i think it's cute."

 

kihyun sighed in defeat, twirling a strand of changkyun's light brown hair. "it's hopeless."

 

jooheon shrugged. "don't be like that now. for how long?"

 

kihyun opened his mouth but closed it after feeling changkyun stir, moving to rub the sleep out of his face. he looked so heartbreakingly pretty kihyun held his breath for a moment. jooheon was the one to break the silence. 

 

"good morning. let's go wash up, but except for coffee i don't have anything else. we'll grab whatever outside."

 

the two hummed in response, changkyun left his lap and strolled to the bathroom clearly still half awake. jooheon headed to the kitchen to make coffee and kihyun was left alone, not in charge of the chores for the first time. he sighed, following changkyun's trail to the bathroom. the younger was brushing his teeth, kihyun bitterly remembered his toothbrush was deeply buried in his luggage.

 

changkyun wordlessly stepped back from the sink once he was done so kihyun entered the bathroom, at least to wash his face. he splashed the water on his face, as cold as possible. the refreshing feel didn't last long because the second he raised his head, the reflection of changkyun peeing made him dizzy again. kihyun screamed. 

 

his scream didn't deter changkyun as the latter only laughed at kihyun's horrified expression. kihyun fought back the blush on his neck as changkyun zipped himself up. 

 

the breakfast (or coffee) table was quiet, but only because nobody had really woken up yet. it was jooheon who eventually ushered everyone out of the door, leaving the dirty mugs in the sink and grabbing the car keys. 

 

kihyun watched the outside world from the car window, occasionally joining the conversation of the two or listening to more stories. changkyun and jooheon apparently didn't like each other that much when they first met, but they were inseparable now. kihyun kind of envied them, they had opened up to him, made him a part of their friendship and he was grateful for that, but at the same time he knew he would never be like the other. 

 

but he could live with that. 

 

jooheon stopped at a gas station and changkyun accompanied kihyun in grabbing something to eat. the older was comparing two ready-to-eat gimbap packages when changkyun suddenly turned him around and trapped him against the aisle. 

 

"hyung, you're not mad at me, are you?"

 

kihyun gulped. "n- no, why would i be?"

 

"you've been quiet all morning." 

 

"i'm just tired changkyunnie, that's all."

 

the younger raised his brow. "really? you were the one who slept first though."

 

kihyun averted his gaze, hoping changkyun would get the message and drop the subject. 

 

"don't wanna be awkward with you." with that, changkyun only squeezed his shoulder headed for the drinks section, leaving kihyun to deal with his raging heart alone. 

 

"if you only knew."

 

**

 

jooheon's parents' house was bigger than expected, it was a bit far from the sea but kihyun really didn't mind. the blonde boy showed him his room since changkyun knew the house like it was his own anyway. he protested once he saw jooheon had given him the master bedroom, saying he was doing too much. jooheon only shrugged, arguing changkyun was a midget anyway and could use the guest room like he always did, jooheon already had his own room. 

 

"i'm a midget too. let me use the guest room."

 

jooheon laughed. "what? you're like, at least two centimeters taller, hyung."

 

they wasted no time in running to the beach. the two boys ditched their shirts and started running to the water the second their toes touched the sand, while kihyun stayed back to fold their tshirts and setting up the umbrella. it didn't last long though, because changkyun grabbed him by the shoulders and jooheon grabbed his feet, throwing him into the water when it was deep enough. he still hit his back against the sand, but he was laughing too much to care. 

 

"really, hyung," jooheon almost scolded. "you should leave it be sometimes."

 

kihyun thought jooheon was probably right, but it drowned out as changkyun grabbed his waist to pull him underwater once more. 

 

the sun was almost setting when they left the sea. kihyun didn't remember ever playing in the water like today, not even when he was a child. he was shy and never got any invites anywhere, the few holidays he had with his friends were always calm, quiet, non-tiring ones. right now, kihyun felt even breathing was too much, but it easily was the best day of his life. plus, he could watch changkyun laying on the sun with a small smile on his face, drops of water still hanging on his torso, over all his tattoos he'd never seen, over his hair and face, illuminated by the last rays of sunshine, he looked ethereal. 

 

"hyung, don't just sit there."

 

kihyun snapped out of his daze, but was relieved to find changkyun's eyes still closed. he'd been ogling his chest for a bit too long. "huh?"

 

"i know you're there, sitting down like it's a business meeting. come lay down with me."

 

"jooheon wants to head back, he went to the toilet, i'm sure he'll be back soon-"

 

changkyun cracked an eye open, focusing on kihyun's now flushing face. "hyung. come lay down with me."

 

so kihyun did. his much paler shoulder looked ugly compared to changkyun's broader and tan one, but it was okay. he was okay here. wanted. 

 

he closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall next to changkyun's. jooheon would wake him up. 

 

**

preparing dinner with friends was much more fun that kihyun ever remembered. 

 

both jooheon and changkyun were absolute disasters. jooheon had innocently dropped the eggshells in the mix like they belonged there, changkyun had cut the same finger on three different places but completely missed the carrots, and while trying to attend his wounds he knocked over the salad, efficiently wasting the groceries they'd bought for day one. 

 

if they were any other person, kihyun would have whooped their ass. them, he could only laugh. 

 

he convinced them to just leave and prepare to table or something without dying, so he could at least make something enough to fill them up. he opted for sauteed vegetables and pasta with sauce in the end, carbs should do the trick. 

 

they grabbed bowls and filled them up before settling in front of the tv, since neither jooheon nor changkyun had set a table. it was better in the end, kihyun wouldn't complain when changkyun was feeding his broccolies to him. 

 

they all agreed on cutting the day short and just crawled to bed after dinner and a little of more fooling around, since jooheon and changkyun were running on 4 hours of sleep anyway. 

 

kihyun laid in his bed and smiled for a good hour before closing eyes. 

 

**

 

jooheon took them to a small waterfall. it was in the middle of a forest, connected to the sea by a small river. 

 

"my father used to bring me here. it seemed bigger when i was smaller."

 

still, they climbed and jumped down from wherever they could, tried standing under the flowing water and laughed their asses off at jooheon chickening out on the shortest heights. 

 

kihyun climbed to the grass, finally feeling tired. jooheon was sitting on a rock, watching the fish swim by and scaring them with his foot. he giggled at the sight for a while. 

 

changkyun eventually joined him, accepting the towel kihyun held out. they sat next to each other, sometimes laughing at jooheon or talking about random things. changkyun leaned forward to grab his water bottle and kihyun's eyes caught the tattoo he'd promised not to talk about. about the girl who broke changkyun's heart. the girl he loved enough to tattoo on himself. 

 

sooyoung. 

 

he tried to pretend his gut wasn't currently being crushed when changkyun sat back, talking way too eagerly about how jooheon was a bigger coward than the fish. changkyun only hummed, throwing am arm around his shoulders. 

 

"i'm an idiot, right?"

 

kihyun jumped in his spot. "what do you mean?"

 

changkyun smirked. "you know what i mean."

 

 _'yes,'_ kihyun wanted to say, _'because i'd do anything to make you love me that much, but you wouldn't even give me a chance.'_

 

instead he shrugged. "i wouldn't know."

 

changkyun leaned more on kihyun. "i guess you wouldn't."

 

**

 

"let's go out tonight."

 

jooheon counted one thousand night clubs they could go to, two thousand bars if they were feeling less adventurous, but it in the end they chose his first recommendation anyway. 

 

kihyun put on a little bit of eyeliner with sweaty palms and tried to hide that small pimple which annoyed him so much. the makeup would probably disappear in the first fifteen minutes anyway, but he liked the psychological relief it gave. 

 

changkyun whistled at him (a deja-vu) when he stepped out of his room, causing him to blush immediately. 

 

"you're gonna cause a fight if you look that good, hyung." 

 

jooheon soon stepped out as well, his blonde hair in curls. his bad boy image was betrayed by the childlike smile on his lips, and gave them both a hug. 

 

"the most handsome people in the world are going out to break hearts."

 

kihyun smiled under jooheon's arm. 

 

**

the club was already blasting music when they parked. changkyun and jooheon wasted no time in finding a booth and ordering shots, placing the same amount in front of kihyun as well. 

 

"you're drinking tonight."

 

"i know i am."

 

kihyun raised a shot glass and the two didn't waste time in joining him. 

 

"for the best friendship and the best night."

 

"amen!" changkyun called before clinking their glasses, kihyun watched with a smile as the boy gulped down the alcohol, before hesitatingly drinking his. 

 

it tasted like shit. 

 

but it felt good. 

 

five more shots later, kihyun was feeling better than ever. jooheon had disappeared, more like ran away, with a girl half an hour ago, both of the boys didn't question why. the girl was pretty. better than he would normally score anyway. 

 

changkyun danced with a girl for a while but came back after a few minutes, probably feeling bad for kihyun, who was steering away from anyone who came near him. kihyun, feeling more drunk than he should be, told changkyun to leave and enjoy himself, he was alright. he'd be okay if changkyun did whatever, just out of his sight. 

 

"hyung, you really can't take alcohol can you?" changkyun smiled, feeling more amused than burdened. "wanna breathe a little?"

 

"no, no you go dance. in fact, i wanna dance. i wanna dance right now."

 

"okay," changkyun said. "let's dance."

 

but again the dancing didn't last too long as kihyun's stomach wasn't having it. kihyun put his head on changkyun's shoulder as the world began turning, he was losing his ground. changkyun, probably having had experience with drunken people anyway, held kihyun by the waist and laughed. 

 

"i'm really sorry," kihyun mumbled. changkyun shook his head. 

 

"i like this."

 

**

 

jooheon dropped them off fast and told them he was going to crash the girl's hotel room, which didn't surprise changkyun nor kihyun. 

 

"hyung," changkyun led him to his room, "you won't throw up right?"

 

"no, i just feel dizzy, that's all."

 

changkyun made him lay on the bed and kihyun relaxed immediately, closing his eyes with a content moan. thinking his hyung would fall asleep anyway, changkyun turned to leave, but kihyun didn't want that. 

 

"don't go."

 

so changkyun closed the door and sat by him on the bed, carefully stroking his sweaty hair away from his forehead. kihyun closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the moment, at least this time he could blame it on being drunk. 

 

"wanna dance?"

 

changkyun stared at him incredulously before snorting, his shoulders shaking with silent giggles. "you're really something else."

 

kihyun shrugged his shoulders from his lying position and let himself be pulled up by changkyun. they stood like that for a while, before changkyun slowly started to guide them, taking soft and slow turns. 

 

"this isn't club dancing."

 

changkyun nodded, placing his temple against kihyun's. "it's not."

 

kihyun laughed. "there's no music."

 

"there isn't. are you complaining?"

 

kihyun hummed, letting his head fall near his collarbones. "never."

 

they went on like that, until they had toured the whole room dancing. changkyun lightly pushed him on the bed and climbed next him, their legs barely touching. 

 

"does this bother you?"

 

kihyun, now feeling sober but wishing he didn't, only shook his head no, air stuck in his lungs as he watched changkyun move above him. 

 

he slid himself over kihyun, carefully resting his weight on his elbows. "how about this?"

 

kihyun hated the way his voice was trembling. "no."

 

changkyun smiled at him, cute, breathtaking and everything beautiful. kihyun smiled back. 

 

kihyun didn't really expect changkyun to kiss him. but he did, and he felt more gentle than he ever did. kihyun froze for a second before his arms went to circle changkyun's shoulders, pulling the boy closer to him. they pulled away when kihyun started to giggle against his lips, eventually needing air. changkyun just rested his forehead against kihyun's, waiting a few seconds before asking "did you like that?"

 

kihyun stared in changkyun's eyes. "did you?"

 

changkyun gave another dazzling smile. "i loved it."

 

so they stayed like that. changkyun kissed him slowly and lazily until the morning, his lips sometimes traveling to kihyun's neck and ear, somewhere along they both had lost their tshirts and kihyun was going crazy just by the touch of changkyun's stomach. he could feel changkyun's dick near his, hot and hard, just the feeling of it was enough and the occasional twitch was making him shiver. they kissed and kissed and kissed, sometimes taking small breaks to talk or just stare at each other, until it was dawn and they couldn't stay awake any longer. kihyun laid his head on changkyun's chest and the younger threw his arm around him. kihyun wished nothing ever changed.

 

**

 

jooheon came back early in the morning, yelling a loud "i'm home," as he stepped inside. seeing no response, he curiously climbed up to the bedrooms. he knocked on changkyun's door but there was no answer. he opened the door to find the bed empty. 

 

" _what the fuck_ ," he whispered to himself and headed for kihyun's room, getting no response to his knocks again. 

 

"please don't let them be naked, god."

 

jooheon sighed in relief when he found their jeans as he lifted the covers. he decided not to wake them, but tripped over kihyun's shirt with a cringe and fell down, startling changkyun out of his slumber. 

 

"stay," jooheon only whispered when changkyun tried to stand up, to which the younger boy complied. jooheon smiled as he shut the door. about time. 

 

**

 

changkyun was still sleeping when kihyun woke up. 

 

and his head hurt a lot.

 

unable to bear it, he stumbled down the stairs for some painkillers, coffee or just water, instead found jooheon chewing on gummy bears. 

 

"i got what you need."

 

jooheon poured him a bit of coffee after handing him two pills, one for stomach acid and one for headaches. kihyun didn't question, he was up for all treatment at this point. 

 

"do you really love him?"

 

kihyun coughed against his mug. "sorry?"

 

"i saw you. cuddling," jooheon moved his two index fingers together and wiggled them to stimulate, "been in the room. sorry 'bout that."

 

kihyun tried to act like he wasn't embarrassed. "that's alright."

 

so jooheon smiled at him, leaning over the table like a teenage girl waiting for gossip, "something happened, right?"

 

"we-" kihyun stopped, feeling unsure, but if he didn't tell jooheon now changkyun probably would when he woke up, or at least he hoped so. "we kissed."

 

jooheon squealed, "then?"

 

"then? we just, kissed a bit more and slept, i guess."

 

"you didn't tell him anything?"

 

"i thought he understood."

 

"maybe. changkyun is, unbelievably, denser than he looks."

 

jooheon finally put some distance between them, looking thoughtful for once. "hyung, why don't you go wake him up? we don't want to waste a full day. i'll make us my special toast."

 

kihyun nodded. he only noticed how anxious he was as he climbed up the stairs. he hadn't thought the way jooheon did. did last night mean anything to changkyun at all?

 

the younger was just like how kihyun left him, only now his arm was hugging a void. "changkyun-ah," kihyun leaned over, shaking his shoulder. "wake up, changkyun-ah."

 

changkyun groaned, burying his head deeper into his pillow. "what time is it?"

 

"it's 12 p.m. jooheon's waiting. come on."

 

"he can wait." 

 

kihyun narrowed his eyes as changkyun's breathing turned to light snores again. he was an actual kid. 

 

he pulled the covers off changkyun and stole his pillow, making the younger whine in a deep voice. it worked however, as changkyun had to embrace waking up without anything holding him back to sleep. 

 

"fuck," was the first word off his lips. 

 

"good morning," kihyun smiled. 

 

both of them didn't speak another word until breakfast.

 

**

 

jooheon parked in front of a beach, packed with lots of young people like them. 

 

"let me get a good view for my eyes, at least," jooheon reasoned while walking to the bar, since looking at ladies over forty was no fun at all. 

 

they sat under the first umbrella they found. kihyun's head was eating him alive with questions about changkyun, about his feelings and thoughts, but he wasn't brave enough to voice them out. how could he? how could he just go and ask _'hey, we kissed last night. what would you rate it out of ten?'_

 

he peeked at changkyun, who was leaning against the umbrella. his eyes were closed, the bags under his eyes proved he was sleep deprived, kihyun almost felt bad for waking him up. when he was sure changkyun's mind had drifted off to wonderland, he scooted back on the sand. 

 

sooyoung. 

 

just over his shoulder bone. changkyun's back had it's fair share of tattoos, but none of them were even near the name. it was the most special one, obviously. kihyun felt his heart squeeze. he was naïve, stupid. how could he think just one night would make changkyun forget about a woman he hadn't for years? how could he, yoo kihyun, a basic florist who got drunk after five shots could even do that? 

 

his hand trembled as he slowly reached towards changkyun's back. his fingers traced the shaky letters, thinner and thicker at random places. it was obvious changkyun didn't know exactly what he was doing. kihyun felt his eyes burn as he dropped his hand. futile, that's what it was. 

 

"i loved her a lot."

 

kihyun's head snapped up. 

 

"she was the first person i ever loved. also the first person to break my heart."

 

kihyun cursed himself mentally while furiously wiping at his eyes, "i'm sorry changkyun, i was just-"

 

"you don't have to be sorry, hyung. i kissed you. it's my responsibility."

 

"you- you don't have to take responsibility for anything. we can just forget it. it's okay."

 

"i should just forget it, like i should do with sooyoung?"

 

hearing her name off changkyun's lips gave kihyun a shiver. "if that's what'll make you happy."

 

changkyun turned around, facing kihyun who was playing with the sand under his hands. "i liked kissing you. a lot."

 

kihyun forced a smile. "i'm glad."

 

changkyun scooted closer and joined him, building a small mountain of sand in front of kihyun's crossed legs. 

 

"did you like it?"

 

kihyun squeezed the sand. "i did."

 

"would you wanna do it again?"

 

kihyun squeezed tighter. "don't you already know?"

 

changkyun smiled, but kihyun wasn't seeing it. putting a hand under the older's chin, changkyun locked their gazes. 

 

"hyung, do you like me?"

 

kihyun breathed deeply but it was impossible to calm down. he felt a tear rolling down his cheek in frustration. 

 

"i do. i like you a lot, changkyun."

 

the younger smiled before tackling kihyun to the ground, who gave a small yelp in surprise. changkyun kissed him, just like he did last night. this time they were in the middle of maybe a hundred people, but kihyun wouldn't push him off for anything in the world, instead he grabbed changkyun's face and pulled him in, not letting go until he absolutely had to. changkyun panted above him, a smirk on his lips. 

 

"i'm gonna need a cover-up tattoo, then."

 

kihyun smiled brighter. "really?"

 

"yeah," changkyun pulled him up, nuzzling his cheek with his nose. 

 

"hyung, i really think i'm about to fall in love with you."

**Author's Note:**

> if u wanna talk or just be mutuals pls hit me up at my tumblr ckyunnie.tumblr.com <33


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